This application relates generally to the field of computer networks. More specifically, the disclosure provided herein relates to network-based audience measurement.
Internet service providers may be interested in the amount of time that users spend online accessing content controlled and provided by Internet content providers. The determination of the amount of time that users spend online accessing content may be referred to as audience measurement. For example, service providers may utilize audience measurement data to determine the popularity of websites and content and to establish advertising rates. Audience measurement is conventionally performed using one of two implementations: (1) a server-side implementation and (2) a client-side implementation.
In the server-side implementation, a content provider may maintain server logs that record accesses to servers controlled by the content provider. For example, each time a user accesses a server controlled by the content provider, the content provider may record the user's Internet Protocol (“IP”) address in the corresponding server log. However, separate server logs are typically maintained by different content providers, and some of the content providers may not release the server logs to the service provider. Further, since the server logs simply record IP addresses, the server logs may not be accurate as to the number of unique subscribers (e.g. multiple subscribers may access a server under the same, dynamically-assigned IP address).
In the client-side implementation, a service provider installs a monitoring device at or near each customer's computer and monitors the Internet usage of each customer through the monitoring device. The need to install a separate monitoring device for each customer can be cost prohibitive and may not be scalable. Further, due to the intrusive nature of the monitoring device, few customers may grant permission to the service provider to install the monitoring device, resulting in a relatively small sample size. Those few customers that do grant permission may only do so upon receiving some benefit in exchange, such as monetary payment, from the service provider.